I found this in a Japanese thrift store where the frame is kinda special. It says in gpt that it has value IF authenticated by an authenticator. All in the pictures are 1 painting.

Thanks for any help with your knowledge!

The other day, I decided to clean out our house’s storage room. As I was cleaning, I kept finding old and vintage items from the 60’s to the 80’s but they don’t strike me as something interesting, until I found these two artworks. At first, I was really overjoyed because these are really beautiful pieces of art and I just found it for free in my house, but curiousity got to me.

The first one is a botanical etching and the second is that of a butterfly. I do not have any idea what type of butterfly and plant these are, but I really got so invested into finding out who made these. It says here that these are made by a “K. Kouno.” It’s the first time I’ve read a name like that. My mom does not know anything about it either.

I know my mom went to Japan in the 80’s as an overseas worker but never really mentioned anything about any artwork she brought home.

Help me find the artist behind these🙏🙏 I BEG YOU

My wife inherited these from her grandmother in the 90’s. Grandpa was in the Navy and Grandma loved art so it’s likely she actually bought these in Japan in the 50’s/60’s/early 70’s. They look to be prints. The have cut-out labels that look to be notes from the art dealer. Both frames are 14 inches wide and 19 inches tall.

The first one has a label that says “Vegetable Pickers. Artist JNK (“Dia”-“Big”-Marked). Kunichika? Style. 1890”

The second one is labeled “Ishawa or Ichikawa Danjuro, Kabuki actor, playing Jiraiya. (Note hand gun). Artist -Unk - Meiji 19 (1887)”

Do y’all think these are really from the late 1800’s, or reproductions?

Artwork I purchased off of Goodwill.

My grandfather brought this back from Japan after WWII and it’s been in the family since. I’m trying to figure out what it actually is before deciding what to do with it.

Once again I am turning to the good and all knowing collective people of the internet to tell me more about a family heirloom. If anyone can glean any information from the photographs I have provided I would absolutely love to hear any and all of it. Apologies for any misuse of terminology.

I got this sculpture/statue/carving from my grandmother. It is carved from wood, and the kamon (which I believe is the Tokugawa crest) I think could be gilt. It is 35cm wide and 20cm deep at the base, and about 26cm tall. There is a hole just above the sash (obi?) on his left side which I presume would have once held a sword, and a presumably silk string about his shoulders. There is an inscription on the inside of the carving which I presume includes some kind of signature or mei (if that is the correct term).

I am well aware that no-one owes me the likely very considerable effort of translating the writing on the inside of the cavity, and certainly not for free, however I do not have the funds available to me to get it translated and authenticated professionally, so the best I can hope for is that some kind and knowledgeable stranger might read the story and find it interesting enough to volunteer their time. If not, of course, no worries. :)

The all important CONTEXT:

I apologise in advance if not all (or any) of this is relevant, I'm just writing down everything I know in case it is helpful or interesting.

My great great grandfather was a wealthy collector who lived in Shanghai in the 19th century. This piece was likely purchased sometime in the mid to late 1800s, but could date to any period, considering that his taste was predominantly for antiques. His collection consisted of a great many Japanese, European, and Chinese swords, Roman standards, and I believe 4 original sets of Japanese armour and a large amount of Japanese and Chinese artwork.

He returned to England in the early 20th century, bringing with him some of his collection, all but a handful of which has since been sold. The bulk of the collection remained in China, as did some of his children who were captured during WW2. What remained in Shanghai was confiscated by the communist party along with the rest of the estate. This is one of the few items we have remaining.

The purpose: I would like to know as much history as I can find about this sculpture and it's maker. I have no plans to sell it whatsoever, it has enormous sentimental value to my family, I just would love to know it's history, who it may depict, etc.

I am entirely open to the possibility that this carving may be worth little to anyone else, so please don't conceal information for the sake of my feelings. Whilst of course I would love for this to be an incredible historical artefact, I am logically aware that this is likely not the case. I do not care, I would simply like to know.

If you require any other images, please let me know and I will do my best. If you made it this far, thank you very much, you don't know how much your effort means to me.

Edit: Size description.

scroll: who is this?

What does he hold in his hand?

Does it refer to some legend or other story?

It's from a Japanese scroll signed and sealed as Tani Buncho.

Appears to be Japanese painting on thin paper . Not sure who the artist is.

My family founds this flat box of ornaments(?) as we prepared for an estate sale. I kept them since they were kind of unusual, and someone had previously gone to the trouble to label almost all of them with individual tags. They're not in great shape and definitely only seem like they could be considered folk art or something, but still wanted to check if there might be some place out there that they'd be appreciated. Thanks!

Just crossposting to share the questions I guess.

I have an original watercolour by Yoshio Markino. The painting captures Victorian London with the main focus being of the Guards of the Crimean War memorial. It is estimated the work was produced between 1910-1925 perhaps. After trying to research this particular painting, I cannot seem to find another image of it on the internet. My question is, what could this mean exactly?, and if this piece turns out to be an unseen painting of his, would that potentially increase the value? It is signed and also a monogram of his initials stamped in red ink.

Any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

I can translate some character strokes (麻 ect ), but it does not help

Hey everyone who loves Japan!
I’m a contemporary art student at an art university in Japan, and I’m currently working on an art project about kanji tattoos worn by non-Japanese people.
If you have a kanji tattoo and wouldn’t mind sharing a photo of it with me, I’d really appreciate it! In return, I can tell you what that particular kanji might evoke or what kind of image it has in Japan. φ(･🫦･

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scroll: who is this behind a tree to the right - spying on people playing go?

What does he hold in his hand? (click image to enlarge)

Does it refer to some legend or other story?

It's a scroll signed and sealed as Tani Buncho.

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